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[crashryan]

A long, long time ago (circa 1976) a friend and I had the privilege of visiting with Mario Larrinaga, matte painter and effects technician, who worked on King Kong. As I recall, at the time only one book had been published about the making of Kong. Larrinaga, almost the last surviving member of the effects crew, had supplied pre-production drawings and other artifacts to the authors. So my friend and I got to see some of the now-famous concept art for the film in person! Larrinaga was a very nice fellow and told us a lot about Kong's technical processes. It was a treasured moment.

[profh0011]

"Man who sit on tack, better off."

--Jimmy Chan

[The Australian Panther]

Just came across this choice fight scene between Sharon Tate and Nancy Kwan.
Sharon Tate goes one on one with Nancy Kwan in the movie "The Wrecking Crew" (1969).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jj2S-buS6LM&t=5s
This was choreographed by Bruce Lee.

By the late 1960s, Bruce Lee had established himself as Hollywood?s prime martial-arts instructor. After Sharon Tate?s ex-boyfriend and celebrity hairstylist, Jay Sebring, saw Lee perform at a martial-arts show, he was captivated by the high-kicking, fierce-fisted star. Lee was desperate to break into the Hollywood film scene, and Sebring, who still kept in touch with Tate and her husband, invited all three over to have dinner with him.

Sebring suspected that Bruce Lee and Roman Polanski would get along well, and before long, Polanski was providing Lee with a leg-up in the movie industry as he trained with the famed director. Lee also helped Tate do martial-arts training for the spy-fi comedy, The Wrecking Crew, in 1968. It seemed like the relationships between Lee and Tate/Polanski were positive. However, the murder of Sharon Tate shook Polanski to his core, making him hypervigilant, angry, and eager to capture his wife?s murderer. All it took for Polanski to accuse Lee of murder was for the martial-arts master to admit a simple detail about an item of his that had gone missing.

 

[paw broon]

I've been watching the Reacher samples on youtube.  Much more like it. A bloke who actually conforms to the description in the books.
The old chestnut again: Reacher or Joe Pike at your back?
Away from the uber violence, we watched Cottage to Let, Alistair Sim, John Mills, Leslie Banks, George Cole. Classic.  Serious with humour. Just a tad ott from Mills.

[Robb_K]

I've been watching the Reacher samples on youtube.  Much more like it. A bloke who actually conforms to the description in the books.
The old chestnut again: Reacher or Joe Pike at your back?
Away from the uber violence, we watched Cottage to Let, Alistair Sim, John Mills, Leslie Banks, George Cole. Classic.  Serious with humour. Just a tad ott from Mills.

One of my favourites since the early 1950s.  Great cast!

[profh0011]

I've long been of the opinion that THE WRECKING CREW was, surprisingly, by far the BEST of the 4 Dean Martin MATT HELM films.  The fact that Bruce Lee choreographed the fight scenes was a big factor in that.  But it was also played less silly than the others.

MURDERERS' ROW (2nd best)
THE SILENCERS  (silly)
THE AMBUSHERS  (too damn silly to tolerate)

Anyone who lived thru the mid-60s or followed it retroactively in reruns may have noticed, something weird happened when TV shows switched from B&W to color.  Too many of them got sillier and stupider as they went.  Up to a point.  Beyond that point, some of them turned around and got MORE SERIOUS again... if they lasted that long.

BATMAN
LOST IN SPACE
VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA
THE MAN FROM UNCLE
THE WILD WILD WEST
THE AVENGERS

It was actually an interview with Billy Mumy in the early 80s that reminded me of this, when he pointed out that LIS's 3rd season tried to get back the style from season 1 they lost in season 2... to mixed results.

Then there was the UNCLE book that suggested its 4th season was TOO serious (even more so than season 1), but after season 3's S***-show (and GIRL FROM UNCLE the same year was even sillier), it was too little too late, and UNCLE was canned 13 weeks into its 4th season.

After its terminaly-silly 2nd season, BATMAN jumped right off a cliff for its 3rd year and completely self-destructed.  A shame, Yvonne Craig deserved better.

WWW somehow managed to remain in the top 10 in the ratings all 4 years!!! It was a victim of some lunatic pressure groups' campaigns to get rid of "excessive violence on TV.  B******s.

I never connected the MATT HELM trajectory with this, but the timing makes sense.

25 years back, I found THE AVENGERS had good and bad episodes in EVERY era (I've not yet seen the Cathy Gales UNCUT-- but it's NEXT on my list of shows to upgrade to DVD).  There are arguably more "silly" episodes in Diana Rigg's 2nd (color) season than anything Linda Thorson did, but just for the quality of the writing, some of my TOP FAVORITE stories are with Tara-- but Tara's WORST stories are far worse than Emma's worst.  It happens. (I don't like the ones where she's helpless and has to be rescued. Not when she could KICK ASS even more than Cathy or Emma when given a chance.)

[The Australian Panther]

Reacher or Joe Pike at your back? 

Ah! Joe Pike! Joe, withoiut a doubt!

[profh0011]

Alistair Sim, John Mills, Leslie Banks, George Cole

At the moment, my favorite with George Cole is TOO MANY CROOKS, a story which, halfway in, suddenly bears a huge similarity to RUTHLESS PEOPLE.  As someone suggested, probably both inspired by an even earlier story.

The John Mills film I've seen more times than anything is the 1978 THE BIG SLEEP, where he has a bit part as the Scotland Yard inspector.

"So, it looks like the chauffer committed suicide."
"Yeah, that's how I'd read it."

[The Australian Panther]

  something weird happened when TV shows switched from B&W to color.  Too many of them got sillier and stupider as they went.

Likely, the emphasis was on, 'How much colour can we put in this show?' - rather than any plot or other entertainment consideration, so colour in everything, costumes, vehicles and so on. And yes, some of those people are exactly that crazy.
In the Land down under, Batman and Lost in Space were automatically designated children's shows, so were after-school fodder.
The others were considered adult so, were prime time - 7:30, after the news and before 'bedtime' and the real Adult fare.
Watched almost no ' Wild Wild West' - appreciate it more now - nor 'Voyage to the Bottom of the sea'.
Was well-read enough to get many, if not of course,all - of the in-jokes and references in Avengers and UNCLE and also enjoyed the performances of the actors.         

[profh0011]

It's sometimes mind-boggling to think that the same season when BATMAN and LIS and VOYAGE and WWW and UNCLE got so silly (the latter 4 imitating BATMAN, and BATMAN getting sillier trying to keep up-- OY!) that STAR TREK and MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE debuted.  Oh, and TARZAN.  Although, that, I later learned, was really a continuation (of sorts) of an already long-running movie franchise.

Somehow, there were so many great shows on, I didn't even see MISSION or TARZAN until the following year, when I got hooked on both.  STAR TREK was on a bit late on a school night, so while I did catch it (starting with the 4th week), it took a while for me to really get "hooked" on it.  Lucklily, one night, my Dad watched with us, HE got hooked, so from then on, it was "okay" for us to stay up a half-hour extra, just for that one show (heehee). 

When it moved to Friday night the 2nd season, I was able to see EVERY episode without fail!  STAR TREK didn't really get "silly"-- except for a tiny handful of "comedy" episodes in season 2.  Then when season 3 came along, the guy they roped into doing it didn't think "comedy" was appropriate, so out went the funny stuff.  Too bad. 



I'm working my way thru buying and watchng a pile of 60s adventure shows.  VOYAGE was one I used to watch, but was never a favorite.  But I figured, why not?  I decided when I got to the 3rd season, to watch it in rotation with THE TIME TUNNEL, which I loved, but didn't run long enough for a successful syndication run.  The way I'm doing it right now, I'm pretty much alternating between the "silly" VOYAGE stories and the "serious" TIME TUNNEL on alternate weeks.

Sadly, one of my best friends, who I've been having immensely-long, detailed, intelligent e-mail discussions with about these shows, passed away suddenly last week.  He really helped me enjoy some of these shows even more than I ever did before, just because we were able to talk about them in such great depth.  I'm really gonna miss him.

[paw broon]

Really sorry to hear of your friend's passing.

Surprisingly, I was never a fan of the Batman show.  It seemed too silly.  Surprising because I love the late '50's, early '60's Batman; Detective; WF.
I much preferred the Green Hornet show. Still do.
At home we had a b&w tv till well after colour transmissions arrived.  I seem to remember the licence was cheaper.
The shows I remember loving were Man From Uncle; Superman, much earlier and which I was allowed to watch in a neighbour's house as we didn't have ITV; Space Patrol - the puppet one; Avengers; Doctor Who; Adam Adamant, which was a bit cheap and corny at times, but exciting; The Saint.

[misappear]

I remember all my comic-reading buddies thought the Batman show was tremendous. I quit watching after two episodes. That show, I?m my very humble opinion, ruined public perception of the superhero concept until Superman 1.

It?s called ?camp? which translates in my mind to ?cringing at silly?.  But I will have to admit that I was too serious as a little 6th grader. Someone ?mocking? my hobby didn?t feel good going down

[profh0011]

BATMAN was one of the very few shows that, as a kid, I somehow started watching from the very 1st episode.  Which was strange, considering I was already hooked on LOST IN SPACE, which came on at the same time.

For a year-and-a-half, every Wednesday, I had to decide which show to miss the first half of.  I'd then walk in on the 2nd half of the show, either Wednesdays at 8 PM, or Thursdays at 7: 30.  My brother definitely preferred LOST IN SPACE, and on those days when I really wanted to see BATMAN, I had to go upstairs and watch it on the B&W set.  No kidding!

When both shows got cancelled, crazy enough, the same local UHF station got both shows, so I was able to watch them both, in their entirety.

A couple years ago, I got both shows on DVD.  I planned out my viewing schedule so I'd watch the same episodes that were originally up against each other, on different days. It was like reliving the 60s-- as they should have been (heehee).

BATMAN was my very 1st exposure to the utterly-bizarre concept of "costumed crime-fighters".  And I remember when it started, genuinely being confused, and wondering... "What's with the COSTUMES?" But before long, I just took it in stride.  While it started the 1st week in January '66, it wasn't until Valentine's Day (about 6 weeks later) that we got our first color TV.  Which made the show even weirder.

There was a delicate balance between "adventure" and "weird humor" when it started.  Not everybody working on the show "got" it.  That balance got almost completely lost when they did the movie in August '66, and it was tossed out the window a few weeks later when season 2 started.  I knew something was wrong, even as a kid, but I couldn't put it into words.  Looking at it now, I realize it's like watching 4 DIFFERENT shows back-to-back, between season 1, the movie, season 2, and season 3 (when it jumped RIGHT OFF A CLIFF).

There's a FB group (that I was KICKED out of without any explanation) where some fans who came in on the later episodes somehow think season 1 is "weird" by comparison. They prefer it when it's more "sitcom" and less "adventure show".


Meanwhile, I was telling people I was really looking forward to seeing LOST IN SPACE again-- "EVEN the REALLY STUPID ones."  The show meant so much to me when it was first-run.  But I was somehow not prepared for my reaction on seeing it again after all this time.  The good episodes were EVEN BETTER than I remembered.  But the real shock-- the "REALLY STUPID" ones-- I enjoyed the hell out of, too!  Only a TINY handful I currently find painful to watch (among them, "Wild Adventure" and "Mutiny In Space").  Even some I remember being the "bottom of the barrel", I actually managed to find something in them to really enjoy, on their own level.  (Among those, "Space Vikings" and even the infamous, in my mind, "A Day At The Zoo".)  Which blows my mind!

Believe me, "The Great Vegetable Rebellion" is NOWHERE NEAR the bottom many would have you believe it is!!

A lot of the time, you have to put yourself in the right frame of mind to appreciate them.  But if you can do that... WOW!   


Oh, yeah-- my friend Robin (who just passed away) and I both agreed "A Visit To Hades" with Gerald Mohr was one of our top favorites.  His character of "Morbus", a "political prisoner" in an other-dimensional prison-- was just having too much fun at Dr. Smith's expense.

"SOOO, Zachary-- you FINALLY got here!"
"GOOD HEAVENS!!"
"Guess AGAIN!!"

[Robb_K]

BATMAN was one of the very few shows that, as a kid, I somehow started watching from the very 1st episode.  Which was strange, considering I was already hooked on LOST IN SPACE, which came on at the same time.

For a year-and-a-half, every Wednesday, I had to decide which show to miss the first half of.  I'd then walk in on the 2nd half of the show, either Wednesdays at 8 PM, or Thursdays at 7: 30.  My brother definitely preferred LOST IN SPACE, and on those days when I really wanted to see BATMAN, I had to go upstairs and watch it on the B&W set.  No kidding!

When both shows got cancelled, crazy enough, the same local UHF station got both shows, so I was able to watch them both, in their entirety.

A couple years ago, I got both shows on DVD.  I planned out my viewing schedule so I'd watch the same episodes that were originally up against each other, on different days. It was like reliving the 60s-- as they should have been (heehee).

BATMAN was my very 1st exposure to the utterly-bizarre concept of "costumed crime-fighters".  And I remember when it started, genuinely being confused, and wondering... "What's with the COSTUMES?" But before long, I just took it in stride.  While it started the 1st week in January '66, it wasn't until Valentine's Day (about 6 weeks later) that we got our first color TV.  Which made the show even weirder.

There was a delicate balance between "adventure" and "weird humor" when it started.

Meanwhile, I was telling people I was really looking forward to seeing LOST IN SPACE again-- "EVEN the REALLY STUPID ones."  The show meant so much to me when it was first-run.  But I was somehow not prepared for my reaction on seeing it again after all this time.  The good episodes were EVEN BETTER than I remembered.  But the real shock-- the "REALLY STUPID" ones-- I enjoyed the hell out of, too! 

I watched the first episodes of both of those series.  It was clear from the start that both were parodies, conceived, written and produced with tongue-in-cheek.  They were intended to be "Camp" versions of a nostalgic look back on comic book superheroes (Batman), and late 1940s and 1950s low budget Sci-Fi films and cinema serial shorts.  They weren't intended to be "serious" superhero/Police/Detective stories with "real life-threatening danger", nor "serious" science fiction, exploring real scientific questions' answers to which current scientists were studying, nor was there any real feeling of life-threatening danger.  Both were played almost completely for comedic value.  Batman got old to me after 3 episodes, so I have no idea how that series changed over its 4 years.  One only had to watch the excellent hammy performances of Dr. Smith, to realise, and to notice the lack of real scientific content in the premiere episode of "Lost in Space" to know that it was only a comedy for young children, and would get old quickly.  But it became extremely popular as a nostalgic thrill for many, many peple who watched it religiously as children.

[profh0011]

LIS was NOT a comedy when it started.  It slowly evolved into one.  I don't know WTF you're talking about.  But it's clear, you're not the person I should be discussing shows I've enjoyed SO MUCH over the years with.  Man, what a downer.

You know, somebody at another board once asked me WHY I was dissuccing BATTLESTAR GALACTICA so much since I clearly "hated" the show.  But I didn't.  But I realized all the flaws it had, and wanted to discuss in detail the lows and the highs in it. 

Another show that's genuinely blown my mnind this past year or so is UFO.  I always thought of it as 2nd-rate at best.  Now I realize that, in addition to some VERY dodgy, questionable attitude in the writing early-on, the MAIN problem was the networks in England TOTALLY F***ing it over by running it completely out of sequence.  Watching the DVDs, uncut and in mostly-production order, it breaks down neatly into 2 parts.  The first is about an organization struggling desperately to get their act together at all.  The 2nd part has the aliens up their game, and the writing improves a hundredfold.  But you lose all this if you watch the episodes AT RANDOM. 

I was just thinking this morning, the first half is like, "WHY did they bother making this show?"  the 2nd half is like, "WHY THE HELL did they screw this thing over so badly when it was showing SO MUCH potential?"  The 2nd half doesn't excuse the first half, but it does make it really hurt that there wasn't a 2nd season.

[Captain Audio]

The Space Croppers is my favorite. How could it not be with Sherry Jackson as the hottest fem fatale of all science fiction.

[Robb_K]

LIS was NOT a comedy when it started.  It slowly evolved into one.  I don't know WTF you're talking about.  But it's clear, you're not the person I should be discussing shows I've enjoyed SO MUCH over the years with.  Man, what a downer.

Sorry.  I certainly didn't mean to be a downer.  I was just giving my personal opinion.  Thanks to your comments, I realise that I remembered incorrectly.  I remember now (as you stated) that at first, Lost in Space was played straight (seriously), and changed in tone to comedy later.  But Dr. Smith hammy style made it impossible for me to think of him as a real danger to the protagonists.  In any case, hundreds of thousands of fans of that show loved it, so that, alone proves the worthiness of the show.  And I thought that Batman, played for its camp value, was a great idea.  It was very entertaining even for me, for the first several episodes.  And everyone I knew liked it.

[profh0011]

THE PHILO VANCE FILM COLLECTION
(OnesMedia / DVD-R / 2017)

Here's the funniest case of "false advertising" I've ever seen. The ad said "5 movies + TV pilot". Instead-- it's 13 MOVIES + TV pilot + trailers + FREE EXTRA William Powell film! WOW!!! There's another Philo Vance package out there from "Warner Archives" (2013), but it looks like I don't have to get that one at all, now, as that only has 6 films. I'd love if someone did restorations someday, but for now, THESE'LL do! Classy package design (ODDBALL size); on-screen menus are nice & simple.

Apparently, this has every Philo Vance film ever made, with the exception of 2 that are currently "lost" (among them, the ONLY one made in England). Once past Willam Powell, who did 4 of them, almost every film stars a different actor. Crazy stuff, HMM?



The above image is actually what I bought, but it was NOT what was posted at Ebay!  When I got the item in the mail, it was a very pleasant surprise, as it had about TWICE as many films as the ad indicated.

I've now seen 3 different versions of this same package, which makes me suspect the manufacturer keep updating the package as they find more films.  There's still 1 film NOT apparently "lost" ("NIGHT OF MYSTERY" / 1937) that they're still missing.


Here's a nice 2013 article that gives a detailed run-down on the PHILO VANCE series, before most of the films were available on disc.

nypost.com/2013/02/26/dvd-extra-philo-vance-and-other-rarities-from-warner-archive/

[profh0011]

"OnesMedia" is an outfit that specializes in Old Time Radio, but also clearly love to focus on old movie series.  And judging from the package I just got today, and then browsing their catalog, they're also got The Lone Wolf, Michael Shayne, Bulldog Drummond, Boston Blackie and Mr. Moto... and I haven't gone thru all of it yet.  They certainly seem to have gone out of their way to SAVE me a LOT of time and effort, as I'm now looking forward to getting ahold of ALL of these sets.

[profh0011]

The Space Croppers is my favorite. How could it not be with Sherry Jackson as the hottest fem fatale of all science fiction.

I'm reminded... back in early 1998, I had to drop off my car to have a new burglar alarm system installed.  As it happened, my best friend lived about 10 blocks from the place, and he suggested I come over and we could watch TV while they worked on the car.

AT RANDOM... the LOST IN SPACE that happened to be on that morning was "The Space Croppers".  Jim lamented, "Oh, great.  The day we just happen to turn it on, it's the WORST episode from season 1!"   

I wouldn't really call it bad.  But, it WAS the season 1 episode that most closely resembles the style and tone that most of season 2 decided to follow.  By the time it originally aired, BATMAN had become the #1 show on TV, and multiple other shows decided to try and imitate it.  My late friend Robin in Wales lamented THAT, feeling the producers should have had the courage to stick with what made their own shows successful in the first place, rather than changing to try and pick up some popularity from SOMEONE ELSE's show.

I think the funniest (and maybe weirdest) part of "Croppers" was how Smith got so annoying trying to "romance" the widow lady, how she was so consistently pushing him away and insisted she wasn't interested, then, after she seemed to change her tune, and THEN Smith found out the truth about her son and those carnivirous plants, and he panicked and RAN for it, SHE suddenly says, "Darn-- and JUST when I thought I'd BAGGED him!" She wanted him all along.  WHO'DA GUESSED?


I was just telling somebody earlier today... once it sank in that Irwin Allen gave Jonathan Harris carte blanche to write all his own dialogue... it slowly hit me that Harris must have also been writing the dialogue for The Robot.  And as crazy and ridiculous and annoying and RUDE and insulting as Smith was, The Robot always kept getting the best lines.

In "Abbott & Costello" terms-- Smith was Bud Abbott.  The Robot was Lou Costello.  Smith was "the straight man"!  Who'da thunk it?

[profh0011]

Thanks to your comments, I realise that I remembered incorrectly.

No problem!  EVERYBODY at this board is friendlier than at the board I was just banned from (heeheehee).

Thinking back to when I was a kid... I walked in on the 6th episode.  CBS never re-ran the first 5-- which was essentially one 5-part story (a vastly-expanded version of the original unaired pilot, which did not include either Smith OR The Robot).  I watched the show as it aired, and it slowly evolved over time. 

By the time you get to season 2, it seems natural.  When season 3 came along, it was a jolt because they tried (to a degree) to get more serious again.  Someone at the IMDB complained it was "schizo" that year-- "serious" scenes side-by-side with total lunacy.  I liked it.

When you watch an entire series, THEN, rotate back around to the 1st episode... it's often a SHOCK, to see just how different it was when it started.  For me, even more so, because those first 5 episodes are very different, even from episode 6-up!


One thing I loved over the last couple years (and am definitely going to miss) is how my friend Robin and I, in our e-mails, would dissect the show at such great length, we often figured out things that were only ever implied, or that the writers may never even have thought of themselves.

For example, all the way back in episode 6-- "Welcome, Stranger", Smith performs an "operation" on the Robot, to take some "spare circuits" he has and give them to space cowboy Jimmy Hapgood for his own miniature space ship.  While doing so, Smith pulls something out, looks at it, and says, "Oh-- I had NO IDEA our robot had one of THESE!"  Instead of putting it back, he pocketed it, and never mentioned it again.

Robin & I concluded that circuit may have been the equivalent of C-3PO's "restraining bolt".  A circuit that would prevent The Robot from developing an INDEPENDANT personality.  Once gone, over the next dozen or so stories, The Robot slowly began to show more awareness.  Then, all of a sudden, in "War Of The Robots", he almost seemed to have a nervous breakdown.  Even he didn't know what was going on.  But by the end, he'd become almost completely human.  John commented, "There's something here I don't quite understand."  Like HAL-9000, The Robot had become a person.  After that, he was never just a machine anymore-- he was one of the family.

And as far as we can figure, it was all Smith's fault!  Bet he was sorry for that.   

[Captain Audio]

When Sherry Jackson is on screen one can overlook the silliest of plots.
That worn out coverall , which covered little,barely hanging on to one shoulder had even Will, and suprisingly his older sister, checking out her cleavage.

[The Australian Panther]

When Sherry Jackson is on screen one can overlook the silliest of plots.
That worn out coverall , which covered little,barely hanging on to one shoulder had even Will, and surprisingly his older sister, checking out her cleavage.

Jackson and Angela Cartwright had both worked together on 'The Danny Thomas' show. She specialized in ' beguiling victims or bewitching vixens.'

One could usually spot Sherry somewhere as a biker babe, party chick, capricious rich girl or scantily-clad femme fatale with character names such as "Comfort", "Shasta", "Lola" and "Mona" pretty much putting a stamp on her typecast.

 
Unfortunately she never got the break-out part she needed. The closest she came was when

She appeared in the glamorous title role of Brenda Starr, Reporter (1979), an unsold TV pilot.   

That makes 4 screen versions of Brenda Starr. Including the 1945 serial. Would love to see this one. Has not appeared on YouTube yet. 
Cheers!
 

[Captain Audio]

This is the older sister I meant.

[profh0011]

DRUMS OF FU MANCHU
(Republic Pictures / 1940)

HOLY S***!!! I can see why this is considered by many to be the BEST Fu Manchu film ever made. Although Henry Brandon isn't that impressive, the film is way more exciting than either the Boris Karloff or Christopher Lee versions. It's non-stop PULP ACTION thrills!

Chapter 1:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjXII9gq3Nw